The present application is directed to a surgical tools and methods for holding fasteners and, more particularly, to a tool that holds fasteners and individually delivers the fasteners to a predetermined position within a patient.
Fasteners are inserted into a patient during a variety of surgical procedures. The fasteners are normally inserted into bone or tissue to secure the implant at a predetermined position within the patient. Fasteners may also be inserted within the implant itself. Often times multiple fasteners are needed during a surgical procedure. Further, the surgical procedure may include inserting multiple implants into the patient. At least one fastener may be needed to for each implant.
The fasteners may be small and difficult to manually handle by the surgeon. The size may prevent the surgeon from accurately locating the fastener within proximity to the predetermined position within the patient. The size may also make it difficult for the surgeon to attach the fastener to an insertion tool. Bodily fluid may further complicate the handling by making the fastener more difficult to grasp and manipulate.
An insertion tool should securely handle the fastener during the surgical procedure. During insertion, the fasteners should be secure until placed within the predetermined position within the patient to prevent the fastener from be misplaced within the patient. Exterior to the patient, the tool should prevent inadvertent separation of the fasteners from the tool that may cause the fastener to fall to the operating room floor and require the fastener to be sterilized before being inserted within the patient.